Fenomenologia da experiência de uma psicóloga baseada na interação humano animal na equoterapia

Abstract

The interaction between humans and horses is a phenomenon that extends through history, from ancient times to the present day. Equine therapy, one of the possibilities of interaction between these beings, is a therapeutic and educational method initiated in 1989 by the National Equine Therapy Association (ANDE BRASIL). Its purpose is to use an interdisciplinary approach involving horses to develop individuals with disabilities and/or special needs biopsychosocially. Despite the growing number of studies about its benefits, there is still a research gap focused on individuals' experiences of this process, particularly from a phenomenological perspective. Therefore, this dissertation aimed to conduct a phenomenological study of the experience of a psychologist in human-animal interaction in the equine therapy context. To achieve this, it is necessary to describe the phenomena that arose from this experience, identify apodictic evidence, and produce a transcendental analysis of these experiences. The research adopted a qualitative, empirical, non-experimental, Husserlian phenomenological approach, using a field diary as a tool to record the experience of 14 sessions at the Equine Therapy Center of the Military Police of Maranhão (CEPMMA). The results revealed three central essences: fear, well-being, and reflection, all of them characterized by a dynamic and intersubjective process. The research also demonstrated the importance of the body as a primordial vehicle of perception and meaning in therapeutic practices, highlighting empathy as an essential form of communication in interspecies relationships, which involves the limitations of empathy in accessing the experiences of others. This investigation points to the relevance of considering lived experiences as a basis for therapeutic interventions and reinforces the value of the phenomenological method as a way of accessing individuals' lifeworlds, contributing to psychological science in a non-normative but experiential way.